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This turkey wild rice soup recipe uses leftover turkey for the coziest post-holiday soup! It’s really hearty, easy to make, and has an irresistible broth.
Try my Thai Turkey Soup or Leftover Turkey Chili next for other creative ways to use up leftover turkey.
Why you’ll love it
There are two types of people, the ones who look forward to the Thanksgiving feast itself and then those who get even more excited about the leftovers. When leftovers are as tasty as they are in this easy turkey soup with wild rice, I have to say I’m in the latter category! This is just such a satisfying and cozy soup.
I’ll also mention this is a one pot meal. Ok, most soups definitely are by nature, but I do want to point out that the wild rice is cooked all in the same pot in this recipe and not separately. Fewer dishes after Thanksgiving is a win for me. When you’re over making sandwiches with leftovers, this comforting turkey mushroom soup is a fabulous option.
What you’ll need
- Onion, carrots, and celery – aromatics to start the soup off right. I prefer sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – I like to mince the cloves effortlessly with a garlic press to bypass sticky fingers and time spent chopping
- Italian seasoning – I always keep a jar of this versatile blend of dried herbs in my spice rack. It’s such a convenient and fragrant combo.
- Flour – to thicken the broth
- Chicken broth – for another layer of flavor
- Wild rice – did you know that technically it isn’t rice at all? It’s the seed of a tall aquatic grass. As for texture, it’s got a bit of a chew to it in comparison to the softer rice you may be used to.
- Turkey – use the shredded leftovers from your Easy Roast Turkey
- Mushrooms – we’re using cremini, which are sometimes labeled as baby bellas
- Heavy cream – it adds a final luxurious touch to the broth. There’s not enough to make this soup calorie heavy!
How to make turkey wild rice soup
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Prep your ingredients. In a soup pot or Dutch oven sauté the chopped onions, carrots, and celery in the olive oil and butter until softened. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour, and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Whisk in the broth until the flour dissolves. Stir in the rice, and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid ajar, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add in the shredded turkey and mushrooms. Bring it to a boil again, and then simmer gently until the rice is tender. Stir in the cream, and season with salt & pepper as necessary.
Substitutions and variations
- You could try swapping the wild rice for white rice or brown rice, but keep in mind that you may need to adjust cooking time. Our kitchen has only tested this soup with wild rice. White rice especially cooks much faster.
- This soup will work just as well with leftover Cooked Chicken. Or go ahead and buy a rotisserie chicken!
- You can use a wild rice blend, but note that depending what varieties are included, it could change the color of the soup.
- It’s a versatile soup. Feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand, leave out the mushrooms if they’re not your thing, and so on.
What to serve with turkey soup
- A slice of fresh bread is all you really need to complement this soup. I like sourdough or French bread.
- If you’re craving a big green salad to pair with it after all that Thanksgiving decadence, I recommend dressing it up with my popular Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- This soup will keep for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat. You may need to add some more broth when reheating if the wild rice soaks up some of the liquid.
- This soup can be frozen for up to 6 months. I recommend freezing it in individual portions.
Did you gobble up this turkey and wild rice soup? If you have any questions or made it, leave me a comment below! You can also find me on Instagram to showcase your creations.
Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or more to taste
- 3 heaping tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 2 cups (or more) cooked turkey meat shredded/cut up
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream optional
Instructions
- Prep your onion, carrots, and celery. I just roughly chopped the carrots and celery.
- Add the oil and butter to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the chicken broth until the flour is dissolved.
- Stir in the rice.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's just boiling, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Reduce the heat so it's gently boiling for 15 minutes.
- If you haven't already prepped the turkey and mushrooms, you can do it now.
- Add the turkey and mushrooms to the soup. Increase the heat again so it just comes to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's simmering again and continue cooking the soup for another 15-20 minutes (cover with lid slightly ajar) or until the rice is tender (wild rice does have a bit of "chew" to it, though).
- Stir in the cream (if using). Season soup with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from here.
- You can use a wild rice blend if you prefer, but keep in mind it may discolor the soup a bit depending on what varieties of rice are included.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe looks fantastic! Any ideas/tips for using ground turkey and how to cook/incorporate it in, instead of using leftover turkey?
Hi Victoria! I’d brown it in the pot, possibly add it right after doing the onions/celery/carrots.
Can you freeze leftovers
See “leftovers & storage” in the blog post.
I love the turkey rice soup. Pure genius
Thank you, Leslie! 😀
So good! Made with Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. Made with corn bread for dunking. Yum!
Great!!
OMG so so so good..I did chicken, rotisserie shredded it extra veggies.. Amazing and so loved by everyone. Will make again and again
I’m so happy to hear that, Lori!! 😀 Thank you!
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Hi! I’ve only tested it as written and I wouldn’t want to guess with rice as it can be a bit tricky – sorry!
I also add the turkey after the ingredients have cooked so I don’t cook the flavor out of the turkey.
I always look forward to making broth from the carcass of the turkey. I put carrots, celery,, garlic and Italian seasoning in for the simmering. Once everything is soft I squeeze the vegetables to get the juice out and put it through a wire sieve then cool the broth and take off the congealed fat and make soup. In addition to the normal vegetables and rice I add chopped cabbage, it seems to add a sweetness. I like a thick soup so I add chia seeds, ground flax and hemp seeds. It ends up being a thick filling soup. Enjoy!
Roasted a 14lb turkey and put the carcass in the instapot. With the stock I was able to make enough for the two of us (the six servings) and cut that in half to take to a friend (it was >a quart). I use RiceSelect Royal Blend because it’s a fast cooking blend. It’s amazingly delicious and a good comfort food for these short winter days. Thank you!
That’s great! You are very welcome, Linda!
Attempting to make this delicious looking soup this afternoon. Quick question for storage though, can this soup be canned in a hot water canner if there is dairy in it?
Hi Brooke! I have never canned before, so honestly I have no idea – sorry!
OMG…so yummy! In my rotation this winter!
Thank you, Molly!! 😀